


Worse

by avesnongrata



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Denial of Feelings, F/F, Hangover, Morning After, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-19 09:31:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5962429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avesnongrata/pseuds/avesnongrata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Isabela?"<br/>"Hmm?"<br/>"Last night. Did we...?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worse

The first coherent thought that scrapes its way across Aveline's mind is that she feels like she's lost a very long fight with a dragon. Perhaps several dragons. Has she fought dragons recently? These days, it's certainly possible.

The second thing she notices is the half-dressed woman sitting quite close to her. _Isabela_.

"Take it easy, big girl. Don't try to sit up too fast. You had quite the night last night."

Of course Aveline tries anyway, on principle, only to discover she's practically naked under the blankets. She tugs them a little tighter around her chest and shuts her eyes tight in a mortified attempt to keep the room - _Isabela's_ room, no less - from spinning. When she finally finds her voice, it sounds almost as rough as she feels. "Isabela, where are the rest of my clothes?"

"I hung them up for you. I thought you'd be more comfortable sleeping without them. At least, I thought it'd be a nice change from sleeping in full armor, as I assume you usually do."

Aveline tries to argue, but all that comes out of her mouth is a weak, nauseated groan.

To her surprise, Isabela presses a mug into her hand with a sympathetic chuckle. "Here. Drink this. It'll help."

"Maker! What is in--" Aveline clamps a hand over her mouth and tries to will the contents of her stomach to _remain_ in her stomach, though she fears it's a losing battle.

Isabela rolls her eyes. "Don't smell it, just drink it."

Aveline eyes her skeptically, but there's a challenge glinting in Isabela's eyes that she can't quite bring herself to back down from. With a deep breath and a grimace, she raises the mug to her lips and downs the whole foul mess in one gulp. It's _awful_ , but somehow she manages to keep it down.

"That's my girl!" Isabela laughs. "Do you feel any better?"

"Not remotely," Aveline coughs. In fact, she's not sure it's possible to feel any _worse_.

Isabela shrugs eloquently. "Give it a minute."

True to Isabela's word, the stabbing pain in her head recedes, the churning in her stomach settles, and bits and pieces of the previous night come trickling back into her memory. Hawke, Merrill and the others were letting off steam after yet another dubiously legal misadventure. 'Alright, just one drink' turned into three or four more, which explains why the rest of the night is a blur of sounds and images.

Varric's voice recounting some elaborate tale or another. Merrill's flustered babbling as Hawke flirted circles around her. Isabela's delighted laughter, which only served to make poor Merrill blush even harder. Isabela's clever hands cheating shamelessly at cards. Isabela's tongue running across her lower lip to catch an errant drop of liquor. Isabela's eyes daring Aveline to stay for just one more drink. Isabela's arm wrapped securely around her waist, helping her up the stairs. After that, all is black.

A cold, uneasy feeling begins to creep up Aveline's spine.

"Isabela?"

"Hmm?"

Aveline takes a deep breath, almost as reluctant to voice her question as she had been to drink Isabela's mystery concoction. "Last night. Did we...?"

"Don't you worry, your virtue remains untarnished."

The breath she'd been holding leaves her in a rush, and she must not do a good enough job keeping her relief off her face, because Isabela scoffs and crosses her arms in front of her.

"Well, you don't have to look so thrilled about it. You were drunk. You were vulnerable." Isabela rolls the word around her tongue like it's a foreign, inscrutable concept when it comes to Aveline. "Just what sort of woman do you think I am?"

Aveline scowls. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Before you go verbally abusing me like you always do, just remember that I could have let you stumble all the way back up to hightown last night."

The snappy retort dies on Avaline’s lips. Isabela’s right, of course, and she can't help but feel a little ashamed of herself. Perhaps she's still a bit inebriated from last night, but the next words out of her mouth take her completely by surprise. "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm not relieved that we didn't sleep together, exactly--" Isabela opens her mouth to argue, but Aveline cuts her off. "It's just that I'd want to remember it if we did."

Isabela only stares, her mouth hanging open, and it's the first time Aveline has ever seen her truly speechless. The silence stretches out between them for some of the longest seconds of Aveline's life before Isabela breaks it with a muttered "I have to go" and the heavy thud of the door shutting behind her.

Just like that, Aveline discovers exactly what 'worse' feels like.


End file.
